“Ten days of activism” call for a better world for youth around the world

As thousands of students all over the world have started to mobilize towards sexual education and reproductive health issues, it becomes evident that these subjects are important for young people in our communities. I would say that the earlier we start to talk about it, the better results we are going to have. Thousands of students around the world are making a call for “10 days of activism” to speak about: HIV prevention, contraceptive methods and LGBTQ and human rights.

It is important that leaders and policy makers realize that they have to protect funding for programs that provide resources to address the sex education and reproductive health needs of younger people in our communities.

Following this call of “10 days of activism,” a major UN agency youth program has proposed better access to abortion and sexual education as key to fulfilling young people’s reproductive rights ahead of the 2011 UN Youth Conference to be celebrated in New York this month.

“We envision a world where Young People’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights are fully realized and where youth can experience and celebrate their sexuality,” declares the statement. They give special emphasis to the right to choose and call on governments to create a legal system where young people have universal access to safe abortion and comprehensive sexuality education. Thousands of young people are sharing their experiences and giving testimony about how access to sexual education and reproductive health would have changed their life or would have helped them to make better decisions.

NLIRH agrees, and works to advocate and mobilize the Latino community to gain access to affordable health insurance, sex education, family planning, contraception and many other reproductive health issues.